Welcome to Beginning Piano - Eight Class Introductory Course! In this course, students will explore the basics of the piano and learn to play songs using a variety of methods. Students will play music using piano finger numbers, letter names and standard music notation.  Students can expect to take turns playing the exercises and music. I will model the tasks for the student and then students will get a turn individually to practice the concept. Upon completion of this course, students can continue their studies in an 8-week group piano class using standard notation and more advanced arrangements. 

Class One: Students will learn and practice playing songs with finger numbers. They will take turns playing simple exercises and creating practice patterns. We will explore up and down on the piano and incorporate both hands in playing simple songs. Students will be introduced to quarter note, half note and whole note rhythms. 

Class Two: We will review some pieces & exercises from Week One. We will explore new pieces using finger numbers and then be introduced to learning letter names on the keyboard. 

Class Three: We will wrap up pieces from the first section of the book where we play exclusively using finger numbers and review finding A, B, C, D, E, F & G notes on the keyboard. Students will review previously learned rhythms and be introduced to the dotted half note. New songs will feature letter names and we'll explore how to find the starting position. Finally, students will be introduced to the staff. 

Class Four: We will continue our exploration of A, B, C, D, E, F & G on the piano. We will review pieces from earlier parts of the book and play pieces using letter names in C position. 

Class Five: We will continue playing pieces by letter names and begin to explore the Grand Staff, Bass Clef, Treble Clef, Line Notes and Space Notes and play new pieces using standard notation.

Class Six: We will continue learning notes using Grand Staff and play new music using standard notation. We will discuss time signatures and how to use a metronome to keep a steady beat. We will play pieces that use two notes together at the same time. 

Class Seven: We will practice identifying steps and skips in standard notation. We will explore C Position and play several pieces using the notes C, D, E, F & G in both hands. We will prepare for mini-recital in Lesson 8. 

Class Eight: We will review various pieces and techniques learned throughout this section. At the end of class, students will have the opportunity to showcase their skills by playing a piece or two during the informal mini-recital.